EN
Since antiquity man has been studying irony, it has always been in the center of a continuous debate of scholars of many different scientific disciplines: from Socrates to Aristophanes, from Plato and Aristotle to Cicero and Quintilianus, St. Thomas Aquinas, Baldassarre Castiglione, to the German Romantics. Irony is a world with many acceptations: for this reason, as irony is a rethorical component and a very important element of italian language and culture, it is a very interesting element, which can be used in glottodidactics. The following pages provide a brief overview on the various conceptions of irony, then move on to the suggestion of practical exercises where irony can be used in teaching italian language.